Red Sox beat Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5 to win World Series title
LOS ANGELES — Chris Sale’s final pitch for this Boston juggernaut triggered a celebration on the Dodger Stadium infield, among thousands of fans who made their way to California — and even outside Fenway Park back home.
The quest is complete. Yes, these 2018 Red Sox really are that great.
A team to remember from top to bottom. A season to savor from start to finish.
David Price proved his postseason mettle, Steve Pearce homered twice and Boston beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Sunday to finish off a one-sided World Series in five games.
A tormented franchise during decades of frustration and despair before ending an 86-year championship drought in 2004, the Red Sox have become baseball’s team of the century with four titles in 15 seasons.
“Seeing all these grown men over there, just acting like kids, that’s what it’s all about,” Price said. “This is why I came to Boston.”
Alex Cora’s team romped to a 17-2 start and a club-record 108 wins, then went 11-3 in the postseason, dispatching the 100-win New York Yankees and the 103-victory and defending champion Houston Astros in the playoffs. Cora became the first manager from Puerto Rico to win a title and just the fifth rookie manager overall.
Pearce, the Series MVP, hit a tworun homer on Clayton Kershaw’s sixth pitch. Solo homers by Mookie Betts in the sixth inning and J.D. Martinez in the seventh quieted the crowd, and Pearce added a solo drive off Pedro Baez in the eighth.
“We are a bunch of grinders,” Pearce said, “and this is exactly where we knew we were going to be.”
Pearce, a June acquisition from Toronto, had three homers and seven RBIs in the final two games of the Series.
After losing to Houston in Game 7 last year by the same 5-1 score, the Dodgers became the first team ousted on its home field in consecutive World Series since the New York Giants by the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds in 1936 and ‘37.
Los Angeles is still looking for its first championship since 1988.
“Ran up against a very good ballclub. And just a little bit too much for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Boston won its ninth title, tying the Athletics for third-most behind the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (11). All that stood between the Red Sox and a sweep was an 18-inning loss in Game 3, the longest World Series game ever.